On Thursday night’s three darkened stages, Rovanperä lost significant ground to the leaders. Starting from seventh on the road, he faced challenging conditions as dirt and mud were churned up by the cars ahead. Still, the Toyota star’s usual edge seemed to be missing entirely.
When he reached the evening service park, Rovanperä was a distant sixth overall. With a 43.9-second deficit to the leader, his disappointment was palpable.
He was at a loss to explain his lackluster performance.
“It didn’t feel particularly difficult, but the times were bad. It seems to be a trend for us here on Thursday in Monte,” Rovanperä remarked.
By “Monte’s Thursday trend,” Rovanperä referred particularly to his experience in 2022. That year, he was even further off the pace after the first day but managed to recover and finish fourth.
Rovanperä skipped last year’s Rally Monte-Carlo entirely and didn’t participate in any tarmac events in the WRC last season. This raises the question: did his long break from tarmac rallies impact his pace on Thursday?
“I don’t know how to answer that question if that’s the reason,” Rovanperä admitted.
“There are a few areas where our pace notes need improvement. And certainly, my driving style isn’t matching well with the new tyre on dry asphalt – that’s quite obvious. I only got my first real run on the new slicks here on dry asphalt, and it’s clear they don’t naturally suit my driving style. Now I need to adapt,” Rovanperä explained, referring to the Hankook tyres that are new to the championship.
Toyota’s team principal, Jari-Matti Latvala, offered a straightforward explanation for Rovanperä’s struggles.
“His lack of time behind the wheel is showing. It’s just a fact that he didn’t compete in this rally last year, and now the conditions are a bit different. It’s something that you can’t change. But I’m confident he’ll find his pace on Friday,” Latvala assured.
Rally Monte-Carlo continues Friday with six more stages.
